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    • Italy orders new batch of 24 Eurofighter Typhoons
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    Italy orders new batch of 24 Eurofighter Typhoons

    Pabio Posted on

    Following the Spanish order for 25 new Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, Italy signed a contract for 24 aircraft intended to replace the old Tranche 1 airframes.

    Long-rumored, now-confirmed order for new jets comes after Italian Defense Ministry officially requested government approval for purchase in July this year. This is the second order this week for the Eurofighter consortium, which reached an agreement with the Spanish Air Force for 25 Typhoons to replace the older EF-18 Hornet aircraft.

    Following the Spanish order for 25 new Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, Italy signed a contract for 24 aircraft intended to replace the old Tranche 1 airframes.Prepare for the future

    Replacing Tranche 1 aircraft, which have been in service with the Italian Air Force since the type’s introduction in the early 2000s, the new airframes will come with significant new technologies that are incompatible or uneconomical. to be integrated into older aircraft.

    In Italian service, the Typhoon is designated F-2000A, with two-seaters known as TF-2000A, but the Typhoon nomenclature is commonly used in service and even in official Italian Air Force communications.

    New orders, like current Italian aircraft, will be assembled at Leonardo production site in Turin, Italy. Parts for each cell will be produced by individual manufacturers across Europe.

    Italy currently operates Tranche 1, 2 and 3 Typhoons and will be the fourth country to order Tranche 4 or higher airframes. All major countries that make up the Eurofighter consortium have placed orders for the new aircraft, except the United Kingdom. Germany’s recent procurement proposals refer to a tranche 5more details of which will likely be revealed in the coming years. Deliveries of tranche 4 are currently expected continue until 2030.

    The exact configuration of the new Italian aircraft is still unknown, but it will likely include the new European Common Radar System (ECRS). This Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, also known as Captor-E, replaces the mechanically scanned Captor-M pulse Doppler radar currently installed on most operational aircraft. Additional upgrades are being developed for newly produced Typhoons as part of the Phase 4 Improvement Program include increased electronic warfare capabilities, an enhanced Defensive Aids Subsystem (DASS), and automated sensor management.

    From the outset, the latest Typhoons will be compatible with modern munitions and sensors such as the Meteor MBDABrimstone III and the Rafael Litening V pod. The incompatibility with these new capabilities is a major factor pushing for the withdrawal of Tranche 1 jets.

    An Italian Air Force Typhoon firing an MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile during live-fire tests off the coast of Britain. (Image credit: Italian Air Force)

    The general director of the Eurofighter consortium, Giancarlo Mezzanatto, says the order demonstrates “the strength and importance that the Eurofighter Typhoon brings to Europe”.

    Air Vice-Marshal Simon Ellard (retired), who currently oversees the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, added that “this order, which follows the contract for 25 additional aircraft for the Spanish Air Force signed on December 20, demonstrates that the Eurofighter Typhoon continues to be the backbone of European air defense. »

    In addition to the aforementioned order for 25 new aircraft for the Spanish Air Force, a significant number of orders have also been placed by the German Air Force. A total of 58 additional airframes are expected to be delivered in the coming years, strengthening Germany’s status as the largest Typhoon operator. A total of 201 Typhoons have been ordered to date by Germany, with the United Kingdom coming in second with 160 orders.

    The UK’s Royal Air Force has received its final Typhoon delivery in 2019 and, despite strong encouragement for new batches of airframes, has yet to place orders beyond Tranche 3. Most of the force’s remaining 30 Tranche 1 airframes will be retired on March 31, 2025 without replacement direct.

    Four Tranche 1 aircraft will remain in RAF service for some time with Flight 1435, based at RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands, recently completing an airframe exchange. Three aircraft (ZJ926, ZJ933, ZJ941) returned from the detachment and flew directly to BAE Warton for a “reduce to produce” (RTP) program, meaning the aircraft will serve as spare parts donors. They were replaced by three Tranche 1 aircraft (ZJ920, ZJ928, ZJ942) from RAF Lossiemouth, joining the ZJ915 which has been “down south” since 2015.

    Prepare for the future

    The lifespan of the Eurofighter Typhoon is currently expected to extend until 2060. The desire to continuously maintain production capabilities has influenced many recent orders of this type by the consortium partners. Current order books will see production continue until at least 2030. Subsequent orders for later Tranche 5 aircraft, or even new variants. like the Eurofighter EKit is hoped to extend the request beyond this date.

    As two of the three main partners of the Global Air Combat Program (GCAP)also known as Tempest, Italy and the United Kingdom are seeing their long-term ambitions with the theoretical sixth-generation aircraft. Germany and Spain intend to partner with France to produce a competing cell as part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program, but everything indicates so far that the development of this concept is far behind the AMCP.

    Looking to the future and GCAP leading the way, Italy and the UK signed an implementation agreement in January 2024 to enable increased interoperation between the Italian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. Engineers from each force will be authorized to carry out a certain degree of maintenance on other forces’ aircraft. Both countries operate the Eurofighter Typhoon as well as the F-35B Lightning II. The agreement is expected to eventually extend to the GCAP cell when it enters operational service.

    Pabio
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